Nobody's backing down in the Warriors' standoff with Mickael Pietrus as they approach the Feb. 21 trade deadline. Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless, says that Golden State remains unreceptive to potential deals despite interest in his client from around the league.

"We quietly requested a trade prior to the first date on which he could be traded this season, and we've repeated this request many times," McCandless said. "There are several teams who would like to acquire Mike, and several offers have been made.

"We thought he was traded last week, but the trade was nixed at the 11th hour. Three days ago, Mike met with Chris (Mullin), and two days ago, Mike met with coach (Don) Nelson, both times repeating the trade request."

Problem is, Golden State has little incentive to make a deal it doesn't like, and its executives still view Pietrus as an important part of the team, if he can return to last season's level of play. Nelson has moved the 6-foot-6 forward, who has been playing out of position at power forward, back down to the 3-spot as Stephen Jackson's primary backup.

"Mike has been asked to play out of position for all of this season," McCandless added. "He does not want to play the 4 and the 5. Mike doesn't want to be a corner spot-up shooter for whom no offensive plays are run. He simply feels he can contribute much more on both ends of the floor for another team. He truly hopes to be traded tomorrow."

The Suns and Mavericks are among the teams said to be looking for help at the wing positions, and the Heat tried unsuccessfully to trade for Pietrus in the offseason.

Agent Zero on Ellis:Gilbert Arenas believes that the Warriors should pay the price and that Monta Ellis should stay put when he becomes a free agent this summer.

"Hopefully, they can keep him this year," said Arenas, who left the Warriors as a free agent in 2003. "Everybody knows he's free, so everybody's going to want him. So hopefully they don't make the same mistake on him that they made on me."

Arenas, a second-round pick, like Ellis, got away when the Warriors were unable to match Washington's six-year, $65 million offer sheet because the team was over the salary cap.

Two different circumstances exist with Ellis' restricted free agency. First, the Warriors signed Ellis to a three-year deal, so they hold his full rights and can match any offer he receives without regard to their salary-cap situation.

Second, the league since has implemented the Gilbert Arenas rule, which makes it easier for teams to retain second-round picks by limiting the amount others can offer.

In any case, Golden State officials insist that Ellis isn't going anywhere this summer, and Arenas believes that Ellis shouldn't.

"He's good, and playing in a system like that makes him look even better," Arenas said. "That's why for him, it's better that he stays here, because if he goes somewhere else, they might not play the same style he plays."